Montana vs. Idaho vs. Wyoming: Best Option for New Elk Hunters?

[matechakeric]

I'm taking my father and wife (so we have 3 draw chances) next fall out west for elk hunting. Would Idaho (OTC or controlled), Montana (general or permit), or Wyoming (general with 1 point accrued) be our best option?

I'm not looking for trophy-class animals. We just want a good experience with some beautiful country and preferably as little orange on the landscape around us as possible (we are realistic though). Some good meat and a great experience is what we are most excited about.

we will be going with rifle and looking at the month of October. We also want to grab an antlerless tag as a backup in case one of us doesn't draw a bull tag. We are nonresidents in all 3 states. My father is late 60's and my wife is about 115 pounds so we aren't looking for very steep terrain or death marches.

we will be hiking in and not hunting close to roads and trails. I've been on 4 elk hunts in the past but this will be their first.

I'm open to all insights and recommendations.

 

[Magnum Sherpa]

You said you would like to go the first half of October with rifle, so Montana would be out based on season dates. It’s unlikely to draw WY with one preference point, but certainly worth a chance. I don’t know enough about Idaho to make recommendations there.

 

[matechakeric]

You said you would like to go the first half of October with rifle, so Montana would be out based on season dates. It’s unlikely to draw WY with one preference point, but certainly worth a chance. I don’t know enough about Idaho to make recommendations there.

With 3 persons applying in the special draw in WY, I would think there would be a better chance than not one of us will draw. Always have cow tags as a fallback which we would do anyways

We could always do late Oct if needed for MT

 

[kwyeewyk]

Honestly I think MT might be your best choice overall, if you can get a tag. You can buy a ID tag but you better do your research on which zone because there's some tough country in ID. You can buy a point for MT this fall and next spring when you apply. Your only hope in WY is random even in special draw, and the shift to special this year was significant, next year might not be much more chance at random than the regular draw.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

PM sent.
Matt

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Out of the options you listed above I would be going to Idaho. I definitely wouldn't count on drawing Wyoming even in the special with 1pt.

I wouldn't sleep on Colorado. There are some first season elk units that can be drawn every year. There are elk in there if youll work for them and you don't care about antler size. I tend to lean towards limited states/units bc at least then I know how many people I'm competing against.

I hope y'all have a blast. I took my wife with me last year to CO on a backpack deer hunt and it was a great time.

 

[matechakeric]

Out of the options you listed above I would be going to Idaho. I definitely wouldn't count on drawing Wyoming even in the special with 1pt.

I wouldn't sleep on Colorado. There are some first season elk units that can be drawn every year. There are elk in there if youll work for them and you don't care about antler size. I tend to lean towards limited states/units bc at least then I know how many people I'm competing against.

I hope y'all have a blast. I took my wife with me last year to CO on a backpack deer hunt and it was a great time.

I'd be curious from anyone here who's gone on one if that 1st rifle hunt in CO is a good hunt. The timing is post-rut which I'm fine with but it comes before the woods are crawling with OTC hunters during 2nd rifle.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

I'd be curious from anyone here who's gone on one if that 1st rifle hunt in CO is a good hunt. The timing is post-rut which I'm fine with but it comes before the woods are crawling with OTC hunters during 2nd rifle.

My buddy went on one with his son in 2019. They were on some good elk and had a shot opportunity on a nice bull but his son has autism and it takes him a little bit to get set up for a shot. The bull moved off before his son found him in the scope.

 

[Huntfly]

Out of the options you listed above I would be going to Idaho. I definitely wouldn't count on drawing Wyoming even in the special with 1pt.

I wouldn't sleep on Colorado. There are some first season elk units that can be drawn every year. There are elk in there if youll work for them and you don't care about antler size. I tend to lean towards limited states/units bc at least then I know how many people I'm competing against.

I hope y'all have a blast. I took my wife with me last year to CO on a backpack deer hunt and it was a great time.

Montana use to have a landowner tag it was 400.00 elk deer bear antelope. Do they still offer that?

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Montana use to have a landowner tag it was 400.00 elk deer bear antelope. Do they still offer that?

I don’t know about that.

 

[matechakeric]

My buddy went on one with his son in 2019. They were on some good elk and had a shot opportunity on a nice bull but his son has autism and it takes him a little bit to get set up for a shot. The bull moved off before his son found him in the scope.

Thanks SC. even most of the units I'm looking at for these 1st rifle draws are 100% or close to it, I imagine there will be a lot less hunters in the woods now than a couple weeks later during the OTC 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons.

 

[Trap]

Montana use to have a landowner tag it was 400.00 elk deer bear antelope. Do they still offer that?

I don’t think that ever existed?

 

[buck137]

I live in Montana and have hunted multiple states for elk, and here is how I would choose, I'd go for Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho then Montana. Why do I put my state last? Well, it's because of how our game fish manage them, it's almost like they hate elk and because of the amount of tags they issue, our numbers are low and most of the elk you see will be on private lands by the time the general season starts. Wyoming knows how to manage and the numbers there prove it, my best elk hunting has been in Colorado, and I'll meet a friend from Wisconsin there and we have a blast there.

 

[3855WIN]

I'm taking my father and wife (so we have 3 draw chances) next fall out west for elk hunting. Would Idaho (OTC or controlled), Montana (general or permit), or Wyoming (general with 1 point accrued) be our best option?

I'm not looking for trophy-class animals. We just want a good experience with some beautiful country and preferably as little orange on the landscape around us as possible (we are realistic though). Some good meat and a great experience is what we are most excited about.

we will be going with rifle and looking at the month of October. We also want to grab an antlerless tag as a backup in case one of us doesn't draw a bull tag. We are nonresidents in all 3 states. My father is late 60's and my wife is about 115 pounds so we aren't looking for very steep terrain or death marches.

we will be hiking in and not hunting close to roads and trails. I've been on 4 elk hunts in the past but this will be their first.

I'm open to all insights and recommendations.

You require easy to draw tags in flat terrain with no death marches. I’m just not sure that elk hunt exists.

 

[matechakeric]

You require easy to draw tags in flat terrain with no death marches. I’m just not sure that elk hunt exists.

I didn't say that. I'm looking for not crazy steep terrain (didn't say flat terrain)and not having to hike 20 miles/day. That elk hunting exists and exists a lot. Most elk hunts are not in crazy steep terrain

 

[3855WIN]

Look into a New Mexico private land cow elk hunt.

 

[bigfoot11]

I am in the same boat OP. As a first timer I canceled out Idaho. Mostly because the terrain there is brutal. I am sticking to CO or MT with MT being my last choice as it's been stated a lot of the good units seem to be on private land.

Also, make sure you take weather into consideration. Most of the areas mentioned are going to be cold, have considerable amount of snow or both during rifle hunts. I don't know about your wife but mine would not be up for a winter spike camp 4-5 miles off the beaten path. Can always try to stay below the snowline but we all know how the weather out west can be.

 

[GrantK]

Having done the majority of those options I'd probably lean towards a CO first rifle tag in an easy to draw unit, I actually don't find it any less crowded than the later OTC seasons but the elk are usually still rutting to some extent, the thing to be careful of is the high elevation units that tend to get the first significant winter storm just before first season and push elk into a post rut pattern...
WY general would be great but at 1 point I wouldn't be counting on drawing for a couple of years at least, you might get lucky but hard to make that a primary plan...
MT seems to be on the same track, even if you buy a point this year it isn't a guaranteed tag, that said I'd at least get a point so that in the future you have options...
I've done some good elk hunts in ID but it seems that any tag you would actually want is in high demand, be in line early and hope you get the one you want before it sells out, again, not exactly what I want for my primary plan, at least the OTC tag sale is early enough that you can go for other states if you don't get what you want...